Oyster Sloop

This was a glued-lapstrake plans built 17’ sloop designed by John Leather I built in 1994. The strakes are marine plywood (Okume) and the thwarts, coaming, risers, rails and sole are sassafras. The mast, boom and yard are spf from the lumberyard; and the tabernacle is SYP. This was the seventh boat I had built using the glued lapstrake technique. Since then I have built three more using that technique.

I have wanted to build a boat for a few years now. The boat looks great.

Since you have built 3 more you must like the design. Any suggestion son what I should be looking at as I review boat building books ( designs)? I saw the book on Amazon I think I will order it if I can’t find it in the local ship this week.

That is a beauty!! After I build a few plywood boats I am going to look more into this construction technique. I am very interested in traditional boat building. Again, looks like you did a wonderful job on this beauty!

Thanks for all the kind comments. Yes she is a wonderful craft. I sold her to an English gentleman who took her to the east coast of Michigan at Port Hope which is on Lake Huron. Here she is a few weeks ago on a sail:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5drQq6RjBc I thought you might enjoy this.Dave R – I have built a Nymph by Payson; Sunshine by Walt Simmons; Catspaw by Joel White; 12’ Semi-Dory by John Gardner (3x); Oyster by John Leather; 14’ Cottage Skiff by Kiefer/Workinger (which I still have); and Swallow by Andrew Wolstenholme (in process). I guess that’s nine.Texas G – She has a jib; on that day I was trying to see what she would be like without it flying…docile but she didn’t balance well. I have not built any Oughtred designs. I have helped on a few. In fact a friend just down the road from me is building a Whilly Boat as we speak (write?).I have only built one Oyster. She is a very capacious boat with a LOA of 17’ and a beam of 6”10”. It took me 30 minutes to rig her for sail at the ramp. Also she was a bit of a haul with my little car (Honda Civic). I am downsizing to a similar boat called Swallow designed by Andrew Wolstenholme. (google him…got a nice site)Glued lapstrake is different from stitch and tape (sewed seams) or whatever you all that. I took a class in 1988 which got me started. Now there are many books out there…suggestions – John Leather’s “Clinker Boatbuilding” (my text in the first and only class I’ve taken.); “Lapstrkae Boatbuilding” vol. 1and 2 by Walt Simmons; “Building Small Boats” by Greg Roessel; “Traditional Boatbuuilding Made Easy” by Richard Kolin (2 volumes – “Building Catherine” and “Building Heidi”)Mark S – I never have blogged but I will take a few pics while I build “Swallow” and come in time to time.Thanks for all the comments. Wood is just a marvelous gift in all of its many aspects of use….what a material!

Thanks for the video; what a beautiful day for sailing. It is great that both your wife and mother enjoy the craft as well. The references are really appreciated! Hmmm maybe those kitchen cabinets will have to take a back seat :-)

I look forward to the pictures and progress on “Swallow”.

-- "Checking for square? What madness is this! The cabinet is square because I will it to be so!" Jeremy Greiner LJ Topic#20953 2011 Feb 2

Here I am surfing the net and up pops Beeswing from a posting by mcsteff. The video is of my Wife and ninety three year old Mother who was visiting from the UK. Bless her heart when I suggested a nine mile sail from Port Hope to Harbor Beach in Michigan and she said ok. It is from that two and a half hour sail that the video was taken. To demonstrate the sturdyness of the Oyster I decided to do the same sail in a force five gale with four to six foot waves. Apart from a knock down when approaching Harbor Beach due to the shallower water kicking up near vertical waves the boat was outstanding and I did not even get wet. The wind was gusting over twenty knots and I had not reefed the sails at all. I had to let the jib spill and had the mainsail sheeted all the way out and she was still surfing the waves as it was a following wind. To give you some idea of the conditions that two and half hour sail took one and half hours so I will let you do the math.
I do have to congratulate the builder mcsteff for two things. One is the quality of the build and the second is choosing the John Leather Oyster which is unusual in the US as he is not well known here.